Riding out of oil crisis on electric tuk-tuks

 

 With soaring oil prices, maybe it’s time for electric tuk-tuks. These three-wheeled motorbike taxis are a tourism icon in Thailand, but why aren’t they allowed in Malaysia? After all, they are just beca (trishaws) with motors.

While Thai tuk-tuks can be noisy and smoky, e-tuk-tuks consume no petrol and don’t emit polluting fumes. They are quiet and can bring people cheaply and quickly to our underused MRT, LRT or bus stations.

Many forget that electric vehicles are not just cars that cost over RM100,000 but include much more affordable three-wheelers or even two-wheelers.

Because they are cheap, they can provide more jobs, especially to Malays, and thus help Madani win more votes.

E-tuk-tuks can become our new tourism icons for Visit Malaysia Year 2026 and also boost our eco-friendly credentials. Why should trishaws be limited to older men pedalling tourists around Malacca and Penang? Surely, it’s time to modernise them.

Traditional trishaws often seen at tourist hotspots in Malacca, Penang, Kelantan, among others

We are facing a financial crisis as fuel subsidies for petrol and diesel have skyrocketed to RM6 billion per month from RM700 million before the Iran war.

Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli said this is a diversion of the rakyat’s money from other important development projects.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh has proposed Bangun KL, asking city car drivers to leave earlier in the morning to reduce traffic jams, which burn lots of fuel.

Her intentions are noble, but she may not be aware that many people are already waking up at 5am or earlier to beat the jam. Upon arrival, some then take naps in their cars or offices before work.

I have another suggestion – legalise e-tuk-tuks to enable people to get from our spread-out housing estates to train or bus stations at a low cost.

It’s well known that the biggest obstacle to wider adoption of public transport is the lack of “first and last mile connection.” That's why, despite spending billions on trains, usage of public transport reached a paltry 20 percent in 2025, as Transport Minister Anthony Loke revealed.

Sure, we have e-hailing cars, but “peak hour” surcharges can be double or even triple the normal fare. Thus, cheap motorised tricycle transport seems like a no-brainer – but why hasn’t this been allowed?

‘Atas’ attitudes

The first obstacle is that they are viewed as “lower-class” transport. When I suggested this idea on my social media, I was taken aback by surprising pushback.

Some people said they couldn’t endure the heat, vehicle exhaust fumes and even that it would “mess up their hair”.

Hmmm, how about fashionable scarves or headgear to keep hairdos in place? Tuk-tuks already have roofs to protect from the hot sun, plus fans for cooling. As for rain, thick plastic sheets can be rolled down for protection. Maybe these people have never taken a tuk-tuk in Thailand?

But the real issue is perhaps that some middle-class Malaysians have adopted an “atas (superior) attitude” and look down on tricycles. We have become so attached to our cars, but what happens when the days of cheap RON95 petrol are over?

Yet many Asian countries have long adopted three-wheelers as economical and efficient transport. Apart from tuk-tuks in Thailand, they are known as “auto rickshaws” in India and “traysikel” in the Philippines.

China calls them “san lun che”, and many are now electric. Some even have doors to shield passengers from the weather.

Vietnam has long been renowned for its “cyclos” (trishaws) and wants to make them electric. Is Malaysia so uppity “maju” (developed) that it refuses to adopt this common-sense Asian transport? But hello, we are not Singapore lah.

Road safety

Secondly, there are safety concerns. People on my social media equated tuk-tuks to Mat Rempit on three wheels, displaying some racial and class prejudice.

They seem to have forgotten that Malaysia also has four and six-wheeled “rempits” in lorries, buses and cars, as many fatal accidents have shown.

This includes the fatal Klang crash involving a driver under the influence. So, should we ban all lorries, buses and Honda City cars?

Obviously, the solution is better implementation of safety rules, not outright bans. But yes, we have long bemoaned the lack of enforcement, either from “tidak apa” (it’s ok) attitudes or from alleged “kopi money” (bribes) to “kautim” (negotiable) offences.

This is where the magic of technology can do the enforcement for us. If e-hailing platforms like Grab, LalaMove, AirAsia Ride, Maxim, InDrive or Bolt can adopt electric tuk-tuks, then the apps will push drivers to behave better.

If they behave like reckless rempits, passengers will complain, their ratings will plunge, and they will soon lose their jobs – blacklists of drivers should be shared among all e-hailing platforms. Like Grab cars, e-tuk-tuk drivers can also be tracked by GPS, and those who exceed speed limits can be banned.

Authorities can also make it compulsory to get proper training and insurance, plus install speed-limiting devices. They can limit the power capacity of e-tuk-tuks to no more than, say, 1,200 watts.

I myself won't take them for long distances, as they are not very fast, but short rides to train or bus stations are fine.

Please remember, nobody is forcing anybody to take e-tuk-tuks. Those who are too fearful of danger or can’t live without air conditioning should continue with more expensive e-hailing cars. But please allow poorer folks some cheaper options.

Political obstacles?

It’s pretty clear that Malaysia should have e-tuk-tuks. So why hasn’t it happened? The real problem, I suspect, is vested political interests.

My friend Robert T said, “Getting approval for any new form of public transport is burdened by tedious bureaucracy. I personally experienced this myself, despite meeting up with an MCA transport minister long ago.”

He taught the 4P’s of marketing at a local college - product, price, place, promotion - but added that, “the fifth P, political cable, seems to be the most essential in this country!”

Eco-activist Anthony Tan commented, “I sent a proposal for electric tuk-tuk e-hailing to the transport minister in 2023. I’ve yet to get a reply.”

So is political cronyism at work in the “clean” Madani government? Or is the government protecting car e-hailing from competition? Is somebody “connected” benefiting from that?

Whatever it is, the controversies over the alleged MACC-linked “corporate mafia” and lack of action despite videos exposing corruption of Sabahan politicians don’t exactly inspire confidence.

But even if a 30 or 50 percent share must be given to people with “cables” to run tuk-tuk e-hailing, it’s still a good idea for Malaysia – especially with the looming oil crisis.

To overcome political hurdles, this can be sold as a way to provide more jobs to Malays, just like food delivery riders.

The capital outlay for e-tuk-tuks is far lower than that of cars, and they can be imported cheaply from China - this will create many more owner-drivers. Co-operatives can also buy them in bulk to give members jobs.

Electric tricycle from China

To sum up, e-tuk-tuks can provide the crucial “first and last mile link” to train or bus stations in an affordable, quiet and eco-friendly way. This will help boost our under-utilised public transport system.

They can be new tourism icons, while safety can be ensured by technology via the e-hailing apps, without depending on enforcement officers.

It can even help fulfil the bumiputra agenda and thus win more votes for Madani.

Best of all, it makes transport more accessible and democratic. So what are we waiting for? - Mkini

---

ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist who likes teh tarik khau kurang manis. You are welcome to give him ideas to brew at tehtarik@gmail.com.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.